A Memory To Warm My Heart
by Wolfskin1989
Summary: ONE SHOT! Gale is sick and should be resting but since when has that stopped him for being the provider for his family. So unwisely he wraps up and heads for the woods to hunt only to be discovered by someone who told him to stay home. Nice short GaleXKatniss Fic for you. Set before Book 1. Enjoy!


**AN: **Ok so i know people are still waiting (not so quietly) for my next chapter but ive bin suffering from a little writers blocks mixed with a cold. so i hope this will tide everyone over till i finish.

I wrote this Fic about 4 or 5 months ago on my Ipad and i never really intended to upload it but since ive bin feeling under the whether lately i decide what the hell why not? Some of the stuff that happened did happen to me, violently coughing, room spin etc.

All credit for the Title goes to the wonderful Katbow who came up with it. Be sure to check out her Fic "Salvation For Two".

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><p><span><strong>A Memory To Warm My Heart<strong>

Gale leaned against the oak, the rough bark scratching the already well-scuffed leather of his jacket as he slowly drew back on his bowstring. He took careful aim at the squirrel that had paused in its foraging on the snow-covered forest floor. He sniffed reflexively as he felt a drip fall from his nostril, leaving a small damp patch on his t-shirt. He saw the squirrel's bushy tail shoot high as it looked around for the usual noise. In a flash, the small animal scurried up a nearby tree, easily avoiding the quivering arrow underneath it.

Gale watched as the squirrel reaches a branch twenty feet above him. He groaned both at his failure to shoot the small creature and at his inability to keep silent at all today. It was the third time today he had spotted an animal, taken careful aim and before he could release the arrow, he would sneeze or cough uncontrollably.

He knew he shouldn't be out sick as he was, but his family was counting on the game he would bring back. So gritting his teeth, he wrapped himself up in all the clothes he possessed and headed under the fence. He'd been lucky enough to find two rabbits trapped in the snares he set yesterday, but all the others were empty. So he collected his bow and began tracking.

He sighed frustrated then fell to his knees as another coughing fit overtook him and that's how Katniss found him. She waited for his coughing fit to subside before she stepped forward, "what are you doing out here, Gale?" She huffed sounding annoyed.

"Hey... (Sniff) Catnip. It was just such a nice day, thought I'd go for a walk," he said sarcastically looking around at her unimpressed expression as she leaned against a tree.

"You're sick Gale!" She said rolling her eyes, "my mom told you to stay in bed until you felt better."

"I am feeling better Katniss" he lied. "Anyway, we need the game"

"I told you I'd take over hunting for a couple of days till you were better" she said stepping closer and quickly placed the back of her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up! Did you even drink the remedy my mom made for you?" She asked sternly.

Gale's eyes shot to his boots suddenly feeling like a child caught in the act of doing something wrong. He started to feel the early effects while hunting yesterday, but he kept them to himself, not wanting to draw attention. After the third sneeze, Katniss looked at him quizzically. He had bush over it claiming something had got up his nose but she wasn't convinced. Once they had finished their trading, she practically dragged him to his mother for a quick check up.

Her mother checked him over and after checking his temperature. She declared that he was coming down with a case of flu. Since none of the families within the seam could afford medicine she had made up a home remedy mixing herbs together with water and telling him to stay in bed for a couple of days until it pasted. Katniss walked him home telling him she would take care of the hunting while he was resting. Gale hadn't told his mother that he was sick and done his best to hide his symptoms but Hazelle Hawthorne wouldn't be fooled and when he saw her eyes widen as she felt his forehead, he knew the game was up.

She had sent him straight to bed, ignoring his protested that he was fine and that everyone was making it sound worst then it was. Secretly he was happy to rest his muscles that were, by now, aching and sore. He had finally admitted his illness to himself swallowed a tiny, tiny sip of the remedy, thinking it would help him sleep. This morning when he woke, he was shivering; his head and neck ached worst then ever. It had taken every ounce of self-control and energy just to sit up. He took another tiny sip of the home remedy, wrapped up as warm as he could and headed out the door.

He had been successful in avoiding Katniss all day by taking a different hunting trail they rarely used but she found him now. Who knows maybe she had even heard him coughing and stumbling around the woods. "I didn't want to waste it, Catnip. Anyway I'm feeling fine," he mumbles. Unfortunately, his statement was followed but another hacking cough, so bad he had to hold onto a nearby tree to stop himself falling back to his knees.

Katniss rolled her eyes at him, "come on you," she said nudging him, "let's get you back home."

"Katniss, I-" he started.

"Quit being stubborn Gale" she said cutting him off, "you can't stay out here, you'll just keep scaring away game."

He was suddenly too exhausted to argue anymore and allowed her to steer him back to District 12. He fought against fatigue and the ache in his bones all the way back home. When he almost tripped nearby his house Katniss told him to wait while she spoke to Hazelle. They returned shortly Katniss smirking, but looking sheepish, his mother looking nothing short of furious as she marched towards him.

"Hi ma" he croaked, trying to give her his best charming grin but failing to disguise the small cough that followed.

"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" She said in a deadly whisper.

"Sorry ma, really I am, but we we're running low on game and I needed to-" True Gale was taller than his mother but when her anger broke he squinted and cowered slightly.

"I don't care about the low supplies, Gale! Do you have any idea what I thought when I saw your bed was empty? You could have tripped and broken your neck out in the woods! Sometimes you are too reckless for your own damn good! The kids have been asking all day and I had to tell them you were sick and had to spend the day with Katniss's family so they could keep an eye on you!" Said hissed at him in a low tone.

Shame overtook him as he look at his feet. He didn't think about his brothers or his sister, sat at home worrying about him as he stumbled around the forest. "I'm sorry ma, I just, I just (he sneezed) didn't think" he finished wiping his nose.

"That is obvious!" She said straightening up.

"I know you had to grow up fast Gale, but you're not a super man. You're just as vulnerable to injury and disease as everyone else is. You need to remember to take care of yourself sometimes or let others look after you," She said slightly warmer than before. He could only nod. His mother was right, he wasn't invulnerable, he was just as week to diseases and such, but he hated admitting that to himself.

"Now you are going to stay at Katniss's house tonight. Her mother and Prim will be keeping an eye on you until you get better. Katniss has agreed to take over the hunting and trading until you get better, understand?" She said sternly, Gale just nodded as she turned back to the house. She halted halfway to the door and called back. "Oh and when you are better, your grounded for a month mister! That means no trips to the slagheap! Only school and trading" she said before she closed the door.

Gale was sullen, rubbing his aching neck as they walked back to her house; lights were flaring up as they stumbled through the Seam. In the fading sunlight, he saw Katniss's chin lift looking rather proudly of herself. She walked into her house a few minutes later, Gale following slowly behind her.

"Mom! Prim! You've got a patient!" She sang out, grinning rather slyly at him. He glared at her as her mother and sister got up from the little dining table and looked at Gale. He was about to tell them not to make such a fuss, until he cough violently.

Gale sat in the chair Prim offered to him. He removed the jacket, jumper and scarf he was wearing and handed them to a still smirking Katniss as her mother starting feeling his forehead, prodding his cheeks and looking him over. Every so often, she called out something to Prim who quickly retrieved a glass jar of herbs. Mrs Everdeen backed away and asked Katniss to get some mint leaves and water before she huffed a sigh.

"So?" Gale said with a sniff after a long pause.

"Well since you just let it run it's course and get worse rather than drink the remedy I gave you yesterday, which by the way would have made it easier to cope with today, the infection has made you almost useless. However, this new one will help you at least get some sleep. We will make a salve out of mint leaves to help you breathe easier apart from that there's really nothing more I can do, you'll just have to rest and let it run its course." She said, while Prim began adding herbs into a metal kettle, she then set over the fire.

While the mixture was left to boil Katniss's went to clean herself up, she returns just as Prim hands him a steaming mug of the mixture with a sweet smile, telling him to take small sips until it cools. He clenched his fist and took a tentative sip of the thin brownish, green medicine. It's was so bitter and tangy that he almost gagged but since he could stomach anything Greasy Sae makes, he could stomach this to. He only coughed a few times after every sip and Katniss smirked at the sight of his discomfort, she unloaded her game bag and started cleaning the kills they brought back.

Setting the mug down to cool, he pulled out his knife, grabbed a rabbit and joined her. They worked in mostly silence only interrupted by two sneezes from Gale as Prim took a seat on the threadbare couch doing some schoolwork. A knocking at the door interrupted the quiet as Mrs Everdeen went to see who it is. From his position. Gale saw the small figure of his brother, Rory, standing in the doorway, clutching some greyish material in his arms.

"Hello Rory" Katniss's mother says kindly letting him inside.

"Hi, my mom asked me to bring Gales sheets over" Rory says nodding to the bundle in his arms.

"Ah yes, thank you Rory" she says taking the sheets and setting them on a stool. Katniss beckons him over to were they were sat and handed him two of the rabbits they had just finished skinning.

"Good work Rory, here's the meat I promised for you guys," Katniss said. Rory looks at the mug in Gales hand questioningly.

"It's just medicine, Rory. No need to worry, He'll be back to his old self in no time" Katniss said grinning at him. Gale glanced at the mug that had, by now, certainly cool enough for him to drink down whole. He coughed once more and decided to drink it as fast as he could. He opened his mouth wide and tipped the contents back. Trying desperately to not let it touch his tongue and failing miserably. He coughed again, even more violently but was relieved to see the mug was completely empty. Rory, happy to see his older brother was ok, took his leave saying that his mother and Posy would come round to see him tomorrow after school.

Once Rory was gone, Prim took the sheets and laid them out on the couch, setting a cushion on one armrest. She took a step back, looking rather proud of her handy work, "Well it's not much Gale, but it's better than the floor," she said look at him.

"It's perfect...Thanks Prim" he coughed walking over and laid out on the couch, he was perhaps a little cramped but once he let his legs hang over one side he found it perfectly acceptable. Prim went over and seeing Gale's empty mug, grabbed a bowl of stew and began to heat it over the fire.

The whole house was quite, apart from the crackling of the fire or the small scratching sounds coming from Prim as she returned to her schoolwork. He found it so strange, so unlike what he was use to. His own house was always busy, there was always something happening, something going on. Whether it was Posy wanting to play a game, breaking up Rory and Vicks squabbling, helping his mother with the washing or fixing something in the house, that had inevitably broken.

Ten minuets later Katniss poured some stew into four bowls, put two down at the table for her mother and Prim. She collected the other two and brought one over to Gale who was still lying on the couch, eyes shut. His eyes opened when he felt the couch sag slightly and beheld her perched on the edge offering a bowl to him. He grinned, sat up and accepted the bowl from her happily.

"Mmmm thanks Catnip." He said chewing, trying to hold back a sneeze. There was some kind of herb in the stew that irritated his nostrils, but he ignored it and kept eating, savoring every bite.

When he finished, he set his bowl on the floor and Gale leaned back suddenly feeling exhausted, his aching muscles had eased while he rested but they returned now. Closing his eyes, he lent forward and groaned. He felt Katniss's hand on his shoulder.

"Gale? What's wrong?" Was it his imagination or did Katniss sound uneasy.

Mrs Everdeen came over quickly and felt his forehead. "He's burning up. Katniss, help me lay him down." He felt hands moving his shoulders, his arms, legs and head shifting. He hadn't felt this helpless in a very long time; he wanted to brush their hands away. They ignored his mumbled protests, telling him he needed to lie down. He wished they would stop making such a fuss but he was soon too tired to speak or to move anymore. His head missed the cushion and his head hit the stiff wooden armrest causing another violent coughing fit to erupt from his mouth. Gale found it difficult to breath with his nose clogged and his chest on fire.

He felt a hard hand tugging his shirt up and over his head. "Gale, you need to lie still and relax!" Katniss's voice cut over his mumbles, he obeyed reluctantly and took slow ragged breaths through his mouth trying to calm down. Opening his eyes he saw the room was spinning slightly and he had trouble keeping everything in focus. He saw Prim hand Katniss a plastic bowl of some greenish mush, she rubbed some of it on her hands then she started to spread it over his chest. It was cold, rough and made his skin tingle.

"Katniss, what is that stuff? It feels weird," he said, not able to keep the whine out of his voice as Prim and Mrs Everdeen disappeared from his view.

"It's just crushed mint leaves. It's to help you breathe easier," she said, her hand still rolling over his bare chest as it continued to rise and fall. He closed his eyes and focused on the pressure of Katniss's touch, he found it comforting. If he weren't so sick, he would have enjoyed the feel of her touch as her fingers roamed over his naked chest. He heard her mother and sister moving around the kitchen before returning to him.

"Gale you need to drink this, It'll help you sleep" Prim said softy by his head.

"What is it?" He croaked.

"Sleep syrup, you'll only need about three drops," she said holding up the small vile, Gale paused before he opened her mouth. If it was anyone apart from his or Katniss's family he would refused point-blank, however he saw Prim's sweet blue eyes so close to his that any fears he might have about whether it was 'sleep syrup' or not vanished. He nodded and opened his mouth wide.

"1...2...3, there you go" Prim said drawing back. He shut his mouth, rolled the incredible sweet stuff around his mouth before swallowing. He waited for a few seconds then felt his eyelids grow heavier instantly, the last thing he saw before drifting off was Katniss's hand intertwine was his. 'When- when did...she...do…' Then he was asleep.

Gale awoke in semi darkness. Only the flickering flames from the fireplace illuminated the room. He guessed he slept for a few hours judging from the pitch-black sky he could see outside a cracked window. He was still on the couch, his legs dangling from one end, his head resting on the cushion at the other. His body felt stiff from being still for so long. He wanted to move but he was too comfortable and even the thin blanket felt warmer then usual. He felt slightly better, his throat was still sore but the ache in his muscle had dimmed. He looked around and was surprised to find Katniss's head resting in her arms as she leaned against his side.

He could just see the side of her face as she slept on. She looked much younger than normal almost like she was that same girl he met in the woods so many years ago. He pulled his hand that was still intertwined with hers back and gently ran his fingertips over her dark hair. It was soft, not braided as it usually was and hung down the other side of her face and back. He moved a few stray strands away from her face and ran his thumb down the side of her head. Running over the circle of her ear and resting on the soft olive skin of her cheek, she moaned and leaned her face into his hand but she didn't wake.

He wanted to live in this moment forever. He was so comfortable and content with the world right then with no worries of starvation, reapings or Hunger Games. He wondered yet again, what would happen if he finally came clean and told her how deep his feeling for her ran. It was a stupid thought though, he knew what would happen. She would be surprised then tell him she never wanted a boyfriend or get married because that would lead to kids and they would have to go through reapings just like them. 'But what if we left the district?' Gale thought to himself, 'what if there was someway of escaping this awful place?

"What then Catnip?" He whispered aloud. She stirred and her eyes slowly opened. When her eyes found his and she sore he was awake, her head lifted and his hand fell from her cheek. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and smiled at his own grin.

"Hey Gale. How are you feeling?" She asked with a warm smile.

"Much better, throats still sore but my head feels alright now," he croaked. She placed her palm on his forehead and he suppressed a deep moan in his chest.

"You still feel a little warm. Drink some of this," she said lifting a mug.

"Is it more of your moms remedy?" Gale asked with a cheeky grin. She giggled. Gale had never, ever heard her giggle before, in over three years of knowing this girl had she ever giggled in front of him. It's was just a small thing but Gale thought he had never heard anything quite so beautiful in his life before that moment.

"No, it's just water" she said once she stopped. He took the mug and drain it in three slow gulps then handed it back to her with a small cough and a word of thanks.

They sat in silence for a little while, looking from each other to the fireplace, then at nothing in particular.

"Gale?" She said, biting her bottom lip and looking at something just above his eyes.

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry about earlier. You know ratting you out to your mom. I was... I was just worried about you" she said looking sheepish but to him, she looked nothing short of adorable.

"It's ok, Katniss." Gale said sitting up, "You were right to do it. My mom's right too, sometimes I am too reckless, but I can't help it. Too many people rely on me, on us for that matter. I can't stand the thought of being useless or weak"

"You're not useless or weak!" She hissed leaning forward, "No one who knows you would ever think that."

"Maybe your right. Still in a couple of years when I start working in the mines it won't matter, ma won't have to worry about me tripping into a ditch or something in the woods." Gale said looking at his hands.

"No then she'll worry about you getting blow to bits...and so will I," she said now annoyed. Gale looked up and saw her annoyance, mixed with fear and reluctance to accept it.

He reached out and taking one of her hand in his, "I have too" he said.

"I know," she mumbled, "doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No, neither do I, but we will still have Sundays together." He said trying to lighten the mood, "I bet they will become the best days of my week."

"Mine too" she said giving him her rare smile, followed by a yawn.

"I'm getting pretty tired, think I should get some more rest" he said. In truth, he would have been happy to stay awake and talk to her all night but since she had a full day of hunting planned, she needed to sleep just as much as he did. She nodded got to her feet and stretched. She then reached down and wrapped her arms around his neck; he returned the hug as he inhaled deeply the scent of her hair. Flowers, pine needles and something else, Gale could only describe as Katniss.

"Goodnight Gale" she whispered.

"Night Catnip" he said smiling deeply. He watched her disappear into the room she shared with Prim. Gale took one last look around the room settle his head back on the cushion and closed his eyes, with once last look at the memory of how she looked when he woke up to warm his heart he whisper "I love you" into the darkness before he let himself drift off.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>There you have it, truly hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always welcomed.

Wolfskin


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